Tim Bursch

Tools are cool. Email marketing and tracking. Listening on forums and networks. Connecting on Twitter. I hear about a new tool almost every single day. Sometimes I go and try them out. Other times, bookmark for later. If you are in business today and trying to connect better with customers, there are plenty of options. The amount of tools can be overwhelming.

I don’t know about you, but I can get caught up sometimes in the shiny new widget and forget about the most important resource: people.

What is behind all of these networks, emails, and blogs? Humans.

After tools and factories fade away, there will still be people.

What are you doing to remember people?

Image credit: batega

Tags: people.

So we all get A LOT of e-mails. I get a bunch of newsletters, mostly marketing and social media related. I also get a handful about food and coffee. Two other passions.

I just received one from a restaurant that I haven’t visited for awhile. It was a good reminder. They don’t spam. So, I can handle the regular drip.

That being said, we both know that our inbox is filled with crap too. The bad ones we delete when we have time.

Here are a few ideas for avoiding the delete:

• Watch your frequency. Don’t overdo it. Remind me and give me value, but don’t stuff my inbox

• Make it valuable. Share something that inspires. Give a decent coupon. Help me solve a problem.

• Avoid the clutter. If it’s not a simple message, I’m not going to give it any time.

What keeps you from deleting those newsletters?

Photo by: tico24

Tags: email.

If you really want to get in touch with someone today, you can. Have you tried?
With the network and the tools of the social web we have very little friction in connecting.

Degrees and levels have been removed. If you want to connect with an author you can email them or have a conversation on their Facebook Page. If you want to voice a complaint to the CEO of your favorite brand you most likely can. If you are in a job transition you can do your own headhunting with creative search and networking.

The network for the most part is open and level. Take Tim’s advice and be generous. You will have all the connections you need.

.

I took my kids (son and daughter) sledding the other day. We are getting slammed with snow here in Minnesota. We were at a popular hill, and it was busy.

Here’s what I noticed: My kids make friends. They invited other kids to join them. Pretty soon they had a whole group sledding together, cheering each other on. I know it’s so simple, but I think this translates to social media (and business).

Rules for social media from my kids:
Be social. Ask people questions. Be friendly.
Be helpful. It’s not all about us.
Be inclusive. Invite others (yes even strangers) into your circle.
Be an idea person. Share your ideas. Collaborate.

Think back to the playground, or watch your kids, what would you add?

Image by: Clearly Ambiguous

.

A friend was recently telling me about a restaurant chain that has over 1 million customers in their email database. Granted they are a decent-sized chain, but that’s a lot of permission.

Here’s how they get permission: At the end of the meal the server intentionally asks the guests if they would like to join their newsletter. You get a free appetizer next time, something on your birthday, and…you get the point. Who says no? I have not been to this chain in a awhile, but I bet the servers are trained to frame a positive response question.

Big deal, they have people’s email address and are giving away free stuff. Actually that list is like gold. Why? People gave permission for that restaurant to market to them. Email is still the most shared medium. Targeted marketing. You can send a coupon to men a week before Valentine’s Day.

I think there a few ideas to borrow from this restaurant:

1. Just ask. Ask every person that walks into your store, visits your site, or becomes a fan on your Facebook page.
2. Get the whole store involved. Create an easy question and process that everyone can jump on board with.
3. Give to get. Offer some value for joining your list/e-club/newsletter. What do I get for joining?

Do you have a list? Do you have a process in your business for asking people to join your tribe? What’s working?

Image by: drcornelius

.

If you need to find a business, do you call or look online? I look online.

I recently filled out two web forms. I waited a few days because it was the weekend and I wanted to at least give them the benefit of a doubt. Still waiting. No response.

So, why would you have a door to you company that no one answers? It is like having a phone with your voicemail not set-up. Please don’t put something out there unless you are going to cover it. Same could apply to Twitter or an email newsletter. Do you have a sign-up form, but only deliver content sporadically?

I know I don’t always call or email people back immediately. That’s not the point. The point is coverage. If you offer a customer a connection point, cover it.
Here are some ideas for consistent coverage:
-One person owns the online entrances
-Rotate the weekend coverage (we don’t want to wait two days or we’re going somewhere else)
-If you have an autoresponse, set realistic expectations and follow though

What would you add? How do you cover your connection points?

Image by: madmolecule

Tags: contacts, online, web.

This is a guest post by Josh Becerra. Josh is a social entrepreneur and internet start-up guy. He is the co-founder of localtweeps.com and buythechange.com. Josh is also part of a Minneapolis Co-working space called The 3rd Place. Check it out. You can follow him on Twitter @joshbecerra.

Today I was sitting in my neighborhood coffee shop as my neighbors filed in to get their cup of Joe before heading into the office. What amazed me is how everyone standing around waiting for their order was glued to their phone. They were probably checking email, reading the morning news, updating their status on Facebook or Twitter, or becoming “Mayor of Lori’s Coffeehouse” on Foursquare.  Nobody was actually talking on their phone…they were just mesmerized by the glow.

This got me thinking about how these days my Twitter stream and Google Reader is filled with research, reports and studies where analysts identify the top trends for 2010. Buzz words like “Hyperlocal”, “Interactive Local Media”, “Mobile Local Media” seem to be on everyone’s top trends list – and rightly so.  Location and geo-targeted advertising has been an elusive revenue stream. But the mix of technology, usage and advertiser trends is pushing the pace of change. Today I can walk down the street with my smart phone in hand and know what businesses are around me, who has something on sale and who is offering coupons.  Using the same technology I have the ability to geo-target my friends so I can always keep track of the people I know.  So what about the people I don’t know – but might want to get to know better – my neighbors?

It seems most people think about hyperlocal in the context of “an individual’s relationship to the people, places, and things that are located around them at any given time via geo-targeting.” So here are my questions:

Is there room for a second definition of hyperlocal as “an individual’s relationship to their neighbors and neighborhood?

And does anyone else care besides me?

Update: Correction- The 3rd Place is in St. Paul, MN

Tags: hyperlocal.

Hope your week went well! Mine flew by and now it’s almost Thanksgiving in the US.

Yesterday Jason Markow and I gathered with others on Twitter to talk about moving our ideas forward. We like to call ourselves Twittrepreneurs. It was a good conversation about going from an idea to a project, collaboration, putting your ideas out there, and finding a brain trust or mastermind (more on that next week for sure).
If you could not join us, here are some highlights:

Jason started us out:

jmarkow: Let the chat begin! First Question to entrepreneurs: When does an “idea” turn into a “project”?

Had some great thoughts about committing resources (time, money, passion)

jprisant: Answer: When you actually do something with it and ideally commit resources / work to it.

sambrightstar: @jmarkow I think time is a resource that counts here, definitely.

The conversation turned to sharing ideas as a way to take action.

We agreed that sharing an idea, usually with some trusted people, helps clarify and refine.

Good points and resources shared:

sambrightstar: @jprisant exactly - passion + commitment, so no-one else is likely to commit so much energy 2 my ideas if they steal them

UpbeatNow: . @timbursch Tim, please take a look on this blog post I wrote long ago about stealing ideas http://bit.ly/3HCkCx

ryancarlson09: @UpbeatNow You’re right on…ultimately many can have the idea(s) and it comes down to who can execute.

We wrapped up the chat wondering about a Digital Mastermind or Brain-trust and how entrepreneurs can help each other more using Twitter or another medium. We will be talking more about this next time. Be sure to join us. Share your questions, ideas, feedback.

.

Is everyone included in social media and digital community? That’s a question I have been wondering about lately.

Are we including people on the margins or seeking connections with those who are different than us? My gut feeling is that we have a ways to go bridging the digital divide.

.

Tags: social entrepreneur.